The invention relates to an inhalant medicator suitable to prescribe granular or powdered medicines (medical powder) toward within lungs of a patient by way of breathing action of the patient.
Generally, there are two medications of prescribing a medicine toward within lungs of an asthmatic patient, that is, one being a medication that a medicine is inhaled by way of a liquid aerosol atomizer, and the other being an inhalation treatment that granular or powdered medicines (which will be hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cmedical powderxe2x80x9d) encapsulated in a capsule are inhaled.
Of these medications for an asthmatic patient, an inhalant medicator used for an inhalation treatment where encapsulated medical powder is inhaled, has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 7-313599.
The inhalant medicator as disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Provisional Publication is generally comprised of a medicator body equipped at one axial end with a capsule housing hole and at the other axial end with an inhalant port, an inflow air passageway formed in the medicator body for flowing air into the capsule housing hole, an outflow air passageway formed in the medicator body for flowing medical powder stored in the capsule of the capsule housing hole together with air flown through the inflow air passageway into the inhalant port, pin insertion holes located at both sides of the capsule housing hole in the axial directions of the capsule housing hole and bored in the medicator body in such a manner as to extend in a radial direction of the medicator body for communicating each of the inflow and outflow air passageways, and a boring tool having pins insertable toward the capsule through the respective pin insertion holes for breaking through the capsule accommodated in the capsule housing hole.
In such inhalant medicators, the capsule is accommodated in the capsule housing hole, and holes, communicating the internal space of the capsule with each of the air passageways, are pricked or punched by means of the boring tool. Under this condition, the patient draws his or her breath while talking the inhalant port in his or her mouth, and thus air is flown from the atmospheric side through the inflow air passageway into the capsule. The air flow carries and discharges the medical powder stored in the capsule through the outflow air passageway into the inhalant port. In this manner, the medical powder flowing out of the capsule can be inhaled though the inhalant port into the lungs of the patient.
The conventional inhalant medicator described above, is constructed so that a capsule is inserted into a capsule housing hole of a medicator body, and the medical powder stored in the capsule is inhaled by pricking or punching holes in the capsules by way of a boring tool. For the reasons set forth above, there is the necessity for pin insertion holes and the boring tool. This increases the number of component parts, and induces a complicated structure. Thus, there are some problems, such as increased production costs and increased economical burden of a patient.
Also, in recent years, there are other problems, such as sanitary problems, and a throwaway type of medicator is desirable. In particular, in a case of a dose of medicine to be taken only once, a medicator is not used continuously. In this case, a new medicator is used only once for each medication. A so-called throwaway type of medicator exists. Therefore, people can think about the use of the conventional medicator as a throwaway type. However, for the reasons set out above, this medicator is not suitable to use as a throwaway type.
It is, therefore, in view of the previously-described disadvantages of the prior art, an object of the present invention to provide an inhalant medicator which is capable of reducing production costs by reducing the number of component parts and by simplifying its structure.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned and other objects, according to the invention, an inhalant medicator comprises a medicator body formed with a cylindrical fit hole opening at one axial end and formed at the other axial end with an inhalant port, an inflow air passageway formed in the medicator body for supplying air into the cylindrical fit hole, an outflow air passageway formed in the medicator body for discharging air from the cylindrical fit hole into the inhalant port, and a medical powder storage cylindrical member having a cylindrical portion defining therein a medical powder storage hole whose internal space stores a medical powder and capable of opening and closing each of the inflow air passageway and the outflow air passageway with respect to the medical powder storage hole by external operation.
In the inhalant medicator as constructed above, under a condition where the inflow air passageway and the outflow air passageway are closed with respect to the medical powder storage hole by means of the medical powder storage cylindrical member, it is possible to prevent the medical powder stored in the medical powder storage hole from flowing to the outside via the air passageways. On the other hand, when the medical powder has to be inhaled, the inflow air passageway and the outflow air passageway are communicated with the medical powder storage hole by operating the medical powder storage cylindrical member. Under these conditions, the patient draws his or her breath while taking the inhalant port in his or her mouse, atmosphere flown into the inflow air passageway flows into the medical powder storage hole, taking the form of air flow. As a result of this, the medical powder in the medical powder storage hole can be atomized. Thus, in a blended condition of the medical powder with air flow, the mixture of the incoming air and medical powder passes through the outflow air passageway and then flows towards within the inhalant port, and then the mixture is inhaled through the inhalant port into lungs of the patient.
The inhalant medicator of the invention is constructed by two component parts, namely the medicator body and the medical powder storage cylindrical member, and also it is possible to open and close each of the air passageways with respect to the medical powder storage hole by means of the medical powder storage cylindrical member, thus ensuring a simple structure of the medicator. This reduces production costs. Additionally, even when the medical powder storage hole is filled with granular or powdered medicines in advance, it is possible to prevent the medical powder stored in the medical powder storage hole from flowing to the outside.
According to the invention, at least one medical powder diffusion chamber is formed in the medicator body and located between the cylindrical fit hole and the inhalant port for diffusing the medical powder flowing out of the outflow air passageway.
In the inhalant medicator as constructed above, when the patient draws his or her breath while taking the inhalant port in his or her mouth, the medical powder flowing from the medical powder storage hole via the outflow air passageway can be further diffused through the medical powder diffusion chamber, and thus the medical powder can flow into the inhalant port in a finely atomized fashion.
According to the invention the air passageway communicating with the medical powder diffusion chamber is formed to open to the medical powder diffusion chamber at an eccentric position with respect to an axis of the medical powder diffusion chamber so that the air passageway extends tangentially with respect to a lateral cross-section of the medical powder diffusion chamber.
In the inhalant medicator as constructed above, when air flow passes through the inflow air passageway and then flows into the medical powder diffusion chamber, the inflow air passageway eccentrically arranged in the tangential direction of the medical powder diffusion chamber produces whirling flow within the medical powder diffusion chamber. Thus, even when granulated medicines; having a strong condensation property or a bad dispersion, are adhered or stuck to each other, it is possible to atomize the granulated medicines by virtue of the whirling flow.
According to the invention the medical powder storage cylindrical member is constructed by a cylindrical portion rotatably fitted into the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical fit hole and a knob portion provided at the cylindrical portion and operated rotatably with respect to the medicator body, and inflow and outflow outlet ports through which the inflow and outflow air passageways are opened or closed by way of rotary operation of the knob portion.
In the inhalant medicator as constructed above, the inflow and outflow air passageways can be respectively opened or closed by means of the inflow outlet port and the outflow outlet port by rotating the medical powder storage cylindrical member relative to the medicator body while grasping the knob portion.
According to the invention the medical powder storage cylindrical member is constructed by a cylindrical portion axially slidably fitted into the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical fit hole, a knob portion provided at the cylindrical portion and capable of taking out or putting in with respect to the medicator body, and inflow and outflow outlet ports through which the inflow and outflow air passageways are opened or closed by way of taking-out or putting-in operation of the knob portion.
In the inhalant medicator as constructed above, the inflow and outflow air passageways can be respectively opened or closed through the inflow outlet port and the outflowoutlet port by taking out or putting in the medical powder storage cylindrical member relative to the medicator body, while grasping the knob portion.
According to the invention a stopper means is provided between the medicator body and the medical powder storage cylindrical member for positioning the medical powder storage cylindrical member at a position where the inflow outlet port is communicated with the inflow air passageway and the outflow outlet port is communicated with the outflow air passageway when operating the medical powder storage cylindrical member.
In the inhalant medicator as constructed above, when operating the medical powder storage cylindrical member, the stopper means can position the medical powder storage cylindrical member at the position where the inflow outlet port and the inflow air passageway are communicated with each other and the outflow outlet port and the outflow air passageway are communicated with each other. Thus, it is possible to easily and certainly open or close the inflow and outflow air passageways.